The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
Learning From Logic Models: An Example of a Family/School Partnership Program
This brief offers a step-by-step approach for developing and using a logic model as a framework for a program or organization’s evaluation. Its purpose is to provide a tool to guide evaluation processes and to facilitate practitioner and evaluator partnerships. The brief is written primarily for program practitioners, but is also relevant and easily applied for evaluators.
Free. Available online only.
Aiming for Accountability: North Carolina
Efforts include the state's performance/program budgeting system, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Smart Start.
$5.00 . 42 Pages.
Parent-Provider Partnerships
This paper discusses ways of working with children and families from diverse backgrounds and highlights some of the challenging issues raised by working with families having differing values, cultural norms, and experiences.
Aiming for Accountability: Minnesota
Efforts include Minnesota Milestones, Children's Services Report Card, Performance Reporting, and Family Services and Children's Mental Health Collaboratives.
$5.00 . 50 Pages.
Eight Themes in Comprehensive Community Development: An Annotated Bibliography
This review of current literature on community development is a resource for people hoping to gain insight into the common ground and potential for collaboration that exist between family support and community development initiatives. A brief introduction to the bibliography explains what the eight themes are, why they are important, and what special challenges are raised for community development practitioners.
$7.00 . 28 Pages.
Transforming Training
This paper defines the characteristics of family support in the child care context, highlights research showing the need for provider training to raise program quality, and discusses five vital topics for training child care providers in family support. The author argues for the need to develop one cohesive training system for providers.
$7.00 . 33 Pages.
Learning From Starting Points
This report analyzes experiences of grantees involved in Carnegie Corporation's Starting Points grant program to encourage states and cities to engage in practices to improve children's well-being. This work examines these grantees' experiences implementing key components of a learning system and presents the overall lessons for other localities intent on using information to improve outcomes.
$10.00 . 47 Pages.
Learning Organizations
This issue of The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's quarterly evaluation periodical, investigates what it takes for organizations that serve children and families to become learning organizations. It addresses the questions: What constraints do these organizations face? How do they do it? Who needs to be involved?
Aiming for Accountability: Iowa
Efforts include the Council on Human Investment, Innovation Zones, and the Department of Management's strategic plan.
$5.00 . 41 Pages.
Family Resource Centers: Where School Readiness Happens
Family resource centers are places where you can get information on raising and educating your child. This issue of the Early Childhood Digest describes family resource centers and how they can help you get your child ready for school.
Free. Available online only.
The Parent Services Project
The Parent Services Project (PSP), a nationally recognized child care training program, is based on the belief that caring for children requires caring for families, and that family support strengthens both parents and the community. This paper outlines the history of PSP and summarizes its main teaching points and training methodology.
Hard copy out of stock.
Evaluation Options for Family Resource Centers
This report examines different evaluation designs and their respective strengths and limitations. Using a realistic prototype of a child and family resource center, the authors present three alternative plans for evaluation.
$10.00 . 112 Pages.
Aiming for Accountability: Georgia
Efforts include the Policy Council for Children and Families, Family Connection and Community Partnerships, and performance measures mandated by the Budget Accountability and Planning Act of 1993.
$5.00 . 48 Pages.
Aiming for Accountability: Florida
Efforts include GAP benchmarks; performance-based program budgeting, and the Florida Department of Children and Families accountability system for planning, budgeting, and evaluation.
$5.00 . 48 Pages.
Evaluating School-Linked Services: Considerations and Best Practices
Nine evaluators of school-linked services programs identify considerations and best practices related to evaluating outcomes, sustainability, and collaboration to help determine how school-linked services programs work, what their impact is, and whether they should be expanded.
Free. Available online only.
A Mixed Method Approach to Understanding Family-School Communication
This paper presents the initial findings from an ethnographic case study, focusing on the mixed-method research strategy used in the MacArthur Comprehensive Child Development Project Follow-up Study. The aim of the study was to expand the understanding of children's developmental trajectories as they traverse the elementary school years. This paper presents three case study vignettes of children in the second grade, each highlighting a different aspect of family-school communication from the perspective of the children's parents, and highlights the methodological strengths of ethnography. The third vignette uncovered the complexity and contradictions and race, racism, and informal communication between home and child for one African-American child. (Available in ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422111)
Resource Guide for Family-Centered Child Care
This guide offers ideas and resources for implementing family support principles in child care, and an annotated bibliography of up-to-date publications and training materials that child care providers can use to improve their efforts to support families.
$4.50 . 27 Pages.
Family Involvement in Early Childhood Programs: How to Choose the Right Program for Your Child
What is family involvement and how can families choose early childhood programs that encourage it? This issue of Early Childhood Digest looks at these questions, and provides information on how to choose an early childhood program that encourages family involvement.
Free. Available online only.
Evaluation in the 21st Century
This issue of The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's quarterly evaluation periodical, investigates new themes for evaluation in the 21st century. It focuses on new voices, new methods, and new relationships. It compiles a variety of perspectives and provocative and thoughtful ideas about where evaluation is heading.
Credentialing Caregivers
This paper describes why family support is essential, given current social and economic trends, and stresses the need to bridge child care and family support. The author underscores the need for accessible family support training curricula that can be adapted to audiences of child care providers.
$7.00 . 25 Pages.
Families and Teachers as Partners
This digest provides suggestions on how families and teachers can work together in schools to provide enriching experiences for children.
Free. Available online only.
Aiming for Accountability: Vermont
Efforts include the State Team for Children and Families, Success by Six, and the Department of Education.
$5.00 . 40 Pages.
Home/School/Community Partnerships
Class sessions address system-level issues in working with children and their families. Attention is given to strategies and tactics used by school districts, community groups, and private sector organizations to support academic, health, and social goals for children and their families.
Free. Available online only.
Performance Measurement
This issue of The Evaluation Exchange, Harvard Family Research Project's quarterly evaluation periodical, investigates performance measurement. It presents articles on results-based accountability (RBA) that are both retrospective, looking at what we have learned about accountability over the years, as well as prospective, looking to the future of RBA.